After thinking long and hard about what to get as a birthday gift for a very good friend with a penchant for fluffy teddies and all things cuddly, we eventually decided on a Steiff Bear.

We decided on Steiff over other brands, as in the eyes of an avid arctophile (or mad bear collector to you and I) Steiff are the holy grail of the bear world. With this in mind we had a good look at the range of bears on offer and were amazed at what they have.

Steiff have a range that includes collection, classic and limited edition mohair bears. But they also have a good selection of plush animals and bears that are a little less high maintenance and more huggable.

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After a lot of thought we choose a cuddly bear instead of something to just sit on a shelf and be admired from afar. It seemed that it would make a nice addition to our friends collection, but could be handled without too much worry.

After a hard fought battle between several lovely bears, including a very sweet 35cm Molly Bear and a gorgeous Steiff Panda Bear, which I rather liked myself, we picked out a lovely Steiff Fynn Teddy Bear. He looked beautiful, both cuddly and adorable to look at and touch and as a Steiff bear he had some added panache and kudos about him.

A must have for any Steiff bear is the signature Steiff ear tag, though Fynn also had a neck tag too (although this can be removed for safety). Right from the start, he looked every inch a very lovable bear indeed.

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What stood out about this bear to us was his friendly face and cute black eyes. He has a face that you can fall for straight away, so we knew we had made the right choice. Flynns fur is mid length, with just enough fluffiness to make him cute, without turning him into a messy furball after a couple of hugs. The fact that he was in a lovely honey nut brown gave him a classic colour which complimented the modern flexible way he is put together.

Rather than being one of those stiff Steiff bears that collectors admire and rarely touch Fynn is all cute and touchy feely, which we hoped his new owner wouldn't be able to resist. His paws or pads came in a co-ordinating and complimentary shade and set him off a treat.

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Fynn comes in a range of sizes and we were torn between the 28cm tall bear and the larger 40cm bears. We had a trial cuddle and decided that maximum hugg-ability was when snuggling up to the larger sized bear, so thats the size we picked. We had him wrapped and delivered him to his new owner on her big day. She was very pleased and surprised when she unwrapped the box we had placed Fynn in and the two of them have been best friends ever since.

The larger Fynn Bear can be bought for around the £40 mark and the smaller 28cm bear for a bit less. Fynn is washable if needed and safe for children aged 3 and over. What makes Fynn so appealing is a combination of his design, which is more flexible than the more traditional Steiff bears, along with lovely soft plush fur and a happy smiling face.

I think that given as a gift to the right person he makes a really super gift. I have to award him 5 stars as he has spread such happiness since his arrival at his new home.